Returned
by PrityKity003
Summary: Just a short little story that popped into my head. Spike comes back from the dead after closing the Hellmouth and goes to find Buffy. This story is about seeing each other for the first time and how they react. Story is better !
1. Chapter 1

Buffy took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as she looked up at the night sky. It was strange seeing so many stars in the LA sky but random black outs had been flickering all evening, plunging the city into enough darkness to see the glowing orbs.

"I've been looking for you." Angel said quietly as he moved into the Hyperion's courtyard and took a seat next to Buffy. Surprisingly he handed her a glass of wine as he sipped from one of his own.

He gazed at her as she gazed at the sky. In the dark, bathed in the light of candles, curled up on the chaise lounge, her eyes twinkled with a light he hadn't seen since the first time Whistler had shown him his path as her protector. The haunted, weary veil was gone and replaced by childlike innocents he had never seen on her. But as he looked harder he could see the flecks of pain and sadness just below the surface.

Buffy glanced at Angel and caught him; saw the look in his eyes. Love, lust, concern, sadness, all for her. With a half smile and a sigh she lightly shook her head in answer to his unasked question. She didn't know if she was ok, there were too many conflicting thoughts swirling in her brain.

He responded with a deep sigh of his own. It was eating away at his heart to know she had loved Spike. That she had had things with Spike he had never gotten to have with her. And now Spike was gone and Buffy was heartbroken.

Even if it wasn't right, Angel couldn't help but hate him. He knew he was just being a glutton for punishment but he couldn't stop the words from tumbling out. "You really loved him, didn't you?" Buffy clenched her eyes at the tears that suddenly burned them. She didn't want to talk about this, about him, about their complicated, messy and painful relationship. But on some level she felt she owed Angel, so she responded with a whispered "Yes" as the tears caressed her cheeks.

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat as anger began to burn in his chest. "He was evil and soulless Buffy and now he's gone. You have to move on. What about cookie dough? What about me? I'm here." He said in a voice that was almost pleading.

She finally turned to face him, "I know Angel and I want to thank you for everything you're doing for us, for me." She leaned forward to kiss his cheek when suddenly the temperature around them dropped by 15 degrees.

She couldn't hear or see anything, but suddenly she could smell cigarette smoke, leather, whiskey and the musky scent that signified Spike. Angel looked at her perplexed as she stopped short and looked around the garden. "Do you smell that?" She whispered as her eyes scanned the shadows. "Smell what?" He asked confused. Her eyes looked glassy as she breathed the one word that could shatter his heart. "Spike!"

With one breathy whisper he felt the anger start to bubble again, meanwhile her spidey senses alerted her that Spike was there. She always felt a fluttering sensation on her neck when he was near. From out of the shadows a slightly hazy Spike appeared. "Well this is cozy, innit'?" Came a snarky remark from the blonde vampire as he exhaled smoke from the cigarette between his fingers. Buffy was breathless at the sight of him, shock stopping any words from forming on her tongue. "Hello cutie" he said looking straight into Buffy's eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Buffy couldn't even respond as the tears coursed down her cheeks. "Well I'm glad you're so happy to see me." He said with as cocky a tone as he could muster, but Buffy could hear the insecurity and doubt behind his words.

"Spike, how, you died!" Buffy sputtered as her brain caught up with the situation. "I got better." He said, the cocky tone back "Buffy luv, you should know better than anyone, death isn't exactly a permanent condition." Buffy released the breath she had been holding with a shaky laugh. "Oh my god, Spike is it really you?" She asked sitting forward as if by being a few inches closer she could see the words in his brain.

"Yeah luv, it's really me." She began to scramble to get to her feet when he took a quick step back and held up his hands to ward her off. "Spike?" She asked confused as she sunk back into her seat, her heart aching at his rejection. "What's going on here?" He asked with a raised eyebrow as his eyes finally moved to Angel, who had been forgotten until now.

"What?" She asked still confused as she followed his eyes until hers also landed on Angel. "Oh," She said turning back to Spike. "Nothing, I swear, nothing is going on. We were just talking and I was thanking him …" She said until he cut her off. "By kissing him? Again? You seem to have a lot of funny excuses for kissing him." He said as his eyes narrowed on Angel.

"You said you love me Buffy, and here you are puckering up to him, again." He spat in anger. "I did believe you, ya' know. I just knew I had to get you out of there. But you don't love me. I was an idiot to believe you would ever change. To think there might actually be a choice for you to make and that I might be the one you chose. Doesn't matter anyway, I'm a ghost now." He said bitterly as he reached out and waved his hand through one of the pillars that surrounded the seating area. Buffy gasped as a hand covered her mouth.

"You take care of her." He said at Angel as he took a few steps backwards, never taking his eyes off the girl. "I love you Buffy." He said softly, before turning to leave. "Spike no!" Buffy gasped as she bolted from her seat. Within a mere moment she was reaching for his hand.

As their hands joined, they burst into flames and Spike solidified back into the corporeal world. They were both washed in feelings of despair, hollowness, loneliness, and finally acceptance, pleasure and love as realization dawned. She really did love him, he could feel it in that moment.

Buffy smiled like a giddy little girl with an ice cream cone as she laughed and jumped into his arms, wrapping herself around him as she desperately pressed her lips to his. "That was amazing, this, you are amazing. I love you Spike, I really do love you!" She told him forcefully as she kissed him over and over and held him tight.

Spike was also genuinely smiling, an expression she didn't see often. "I love you Buffy, I love you." He moaned as his lips sought hers and he squeezed her to him. "It wasn't what you think baby, really it wasn't. I swear to you, I would never do anything to hurt you again. I love you Spike. You were dead. I don't know how I could have survived without you. I missed you so much and I'm never letting you go again. I love you, I love you!" Buffy cried as she pawed at him, trying to get him as close as possible while kissing every centimeter of flesh she could reach.

After several long minutes of simply clinging to each other, Buffy finally slid down Spike's body to rest on the ground again. "Take me to bed?" She asked shyly biting her lip and looking up at him through her lashes. She knew she would never be able to get enough of the look of joy on his face as the hand on the back of her neck pulled her lips against his for a tender kiss.

"Say it again?" He asked just as shyly. She smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, whispering against his lips. "I love you William, with all my heart. Take me to bed and let me show you?" She asked kissing him back.

Suddenly he was picking Buffy up again and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he moved through the garden to the hotel doors that stood open and inviting, reaching out to grab the bottle of wine that stood on the table as he walked by, neither blonde even acknowledged Angel's presences as they made their way past him.


End file.
